Pacquaio vs Marquez: Retribution

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez have fought before. Three times before to be exact and if you’ve had the opportunity to watch those fights then you know why they decided to do it again for the fourth time.  It is the most highly contested trilogy of our era with groups of people who believe that each man won all three fights.  Fight number 4 took place Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and was the most violent as both men laid it all on the line knocking each other down before Juan Manuel Marquez got the redemption he was looking for.  Timing Manny Pacquiao’s aggression perfectly and landing the cleanest and most devastating right hand in recent memory Marquez shocked the boxing world, leaving Pacman out cold on his face for two minutes.  Here is the round by round action up until the time of the finish.

Round 1:  The pace was quick in the first round with Pacman looking like the aggressor, throwing more punches and utilizing more head movement while Marquez looked to the body and took on the old role of counter puncher. 10-9 Pacquiao

Round 2:  Pacquiao started to find the range with his straight left hand and wobbled Marquez slightly in the first half of the second round.  Marquez continued to work to the body but fell behind in volume of punches losing the round.  10-9 Pacquiao

Round 3:  The third round was looking like another possible nod for Pacquiao with good head movement and aggression until Juan Manuel Marquez scored his first knockdown in 4 fights vs Manny with a high looping overhand right.  Pacquiao looked solid getting up and finishing the round but the damage was done 10-8 Marquez and it was an even fight after three rounds.

Round 4:  The fourth was one of the closest rounds with both boxers standing their ground.  Pacquiao continued to push the pace while throwing more punches 10-9 Pacquiao

Round 5:  In a possible the round of the year candidate, Pacquiao gets the knockdown on Marquez with a straight left hand that forced Marquez gloves to touch the canvas.  Pacman then proceeds to hurt him again later with a right hook but couldn’t stop Marquez from finishing the round with his chin down and hands flurrying.  10-8 Pacquiao

Round 6:  In the 6^th round Juan Manuel Marquez shocked the boxing world by knocking Manny Pacquiao out cold with a perfectly timed counter overhand right as Pacman charged in during the final seconds of the round. Pacquiao was about to win the round with a fairly solid 10-9 score after out working and out landing Marquez but in devastating fashion the action came to an abrupt end.

                Where does boxing go from here now that a “pound for pound King” has been dethroned by a 39 year old challenger?  It should begin to refocus on the upcoming youth of the sport with names such as Ward, Donaire, Rios for example and break the hold of the older fading stars.  Floyd Mayweather is in his late 30’s and is largely inactive and now Manny Pacquiao has confirmed the thoughts of many who believed his best days were behind him after being knocked unconscious for the first time in his career.  Is this a historical moment where the tides shift and the game changes?  Perhaps, but the suggestion of a 5^th fight between Pacquiao and Marquez has already been made by Top Rank Promotions Bob Arum so we could be in for more of the same.  Before moving on to a potential rematch it is important to give Juan Manuel Marquez his due and respect.  His record against Pacquiao was 0-2-1 coming into this fight and it would have been very easy for him to lose again given the style matchup. He persisted, trained correctly and got the result many feel should have been awarded him in any of the previous three fights between the two.  It was a truly classic and career defining performance from the Mexican National hero that puts him at the top of boxing in the minds of pundits and fans.